After a 7 year hiatus, I was fortunate to be able to complete another marathon, my 3rd one on top of the two St George Marathons in 2005 and 2006. With this race and 2 half marathons earlier this summer, it feels good to be "back in the game." I started up running again in May of this year. It has not been easy to train given my schedule and I've had several setbacks with some minor injuries, so to complete this course means very much. This race was meaningful for several other reasons: 1) I've been longing to get back into running for the last few years and since my Mom, Dad, Sister, and Uncle have all been running for the last several years, they've given me motivation whether they realize it or not. 2) After my experiences in the Boston Marathon Med tent this year, I've found another source of motivation when I think about the people I treated.
This was a great course, hilly and very scenic. The first half consisted of few quasi loops back and forth through downtown Akron And the second half took the racers down into a national park along a Towpath (limestone laden road that runs along the Erie Canal. There was some breathtaking scenery and multiple hills, bridges. The race ended with some climbs out of the national park and back into downtown Akron. It was really neat to have the finish line in a baseball park stadium. I had been training solo all summer, so it was really nice be able to run along side other runners. You certainly "fall in love" with the city of Akron, and all the spectators who cheer you on, even though they didn't know you. I hope to return again to this race some time in the future.
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